The Twelfth Face
by mrsfaithwinchester
Summary: A nightly stroll leads to an adventure out of this world when Sophia meets the mysterious and yes, ginger twelfth doctor. After running madly through the woods to escape a stray Tripectridextal they slip into the TARDIS, opening Sophia's eyes to see there is more to this universe than just Earth.
1. Chapter 1

The Twelfth Face

I yawned and stared up into the trees, searching for a break in the branches. I couldn't sleep again for the third night in a row and walking seemed like a brilliant idea. I hadn't considered bringing along a flashlight and that _wasn't_ a brilliant idea.

Without the full moon's glow to light my way, the woods were a never ending stretch of darkness. I pulled the collar of my jacket up around my ears. The hair on my arms began to rise and I stopped to listen. I felt eyes peering at me through the brambles and bushes surrounding me, but I couldn't see a thing.

"Just an animal... Just and animal!" I repeated over and over as I walked faster through the woods.

My footsteps were quiet due to the spongy moss under my rain boots, but I sure made a lot of racket cussing as twigs tangled in my hair and scratched my face. And this was my clever idea for relaxation?

Soon I could almost feel a strange breath on the nape of my neck. I whirled around arms out in defense, but nothing was there. Just an animal! That's all! Just an an –

I turned back around to see a pale, wrinkled beast inches from my face. I felt moist, hot, stank laden breath spread across my cheeks. It's large black eyes blinked, and it was then I noticed the smaller set just above the others, all shaped like almonds.

"Oh... my..."

"Don't move." A voice whispered behind me.

I froze, figuring it would be wise to listen to someone other than myself, who had got me into this mess. The creature's eyes darted past me to whomever was behind me. It let out a purr as it's mouth (at least I assumed it was a mouth) twitched into a smile. The beast's skin crawled as it lowered itself to meet my eyes. I felt my feet move, inching me backward.

"Don't move." The voice called again and I froze, releasing a whimper.

The mouth opened and a slithering, long pale tongue moved from behind a rather sharp row of teeth.

"A plessssure to ssssee you again Doctor." It hissed and purred. I whimpered as a long bony finger reached out and touched my cheek.

"Let her go."

"Why?" The creature retorted.

"She's protected by the order of intergalactic law. Page three-ninety-two, section eight, subsection C, paragraph four, line six." The voice rambled out. I felt a hand slowly close around the back of my jacket. I didn't know what the hell was going on, but it was buying time.

"Doctor, I think we all know a lie when we hearssss it." The creature hissed.

"Can't blame a guy for trying!" The voice called out, yanking on my jacket. I was pulled away from the beast and felt a hand clap into mine. It was then I met his eyes.

"RUN."


	2. Chapter 2

If walking was a challenge to do at night in the woods, running in terror for your life was nearly impossible. I beat at branches that clawed my faces and clothes as we tore by. I could feel the thing behind me and I pumped my legs harder. I tripped over a stick and the man dragged me back to my feet.

"Where are we going?" I yelled.

"I was hoping you'd figure out that bit." The man said looking over his shoulder. I was doomed. I was just in the middle of declaring it aloud when we came into the clearing I had been searching for.

It was flooded with moonlight and the creature screamed as a beam touched it's skin. It shrank back into the darkness. The man let out a laugh and pulled me further into the clearing.

"Of course! Tripetridextals' weakness is light... Great for times when you have a light! Bad for when it's... you know... night time."

"Will the moon be enough?"

"Enough for me to think... If I could get back to the Tardis..."

There was a screech as the beast attempted to come into the open.

"Think think think..." He muttered to himself ignoring the terrible cries from the wood edge. I pulled out my cell phone and held it out at arms length. It emitting a soft glow that forced the creature deeper into the woods. "Oh you are BRILLIANT!" He yelled grabbing the phone. He pulled out a stick device from his pants pocket. It was at least a pen length long, silver with a sleek handle. A bulb was fitted into the end and he poiting this at my phone. The devide emitted a purple light and strange noise, and my phone began to glow brighter and brighter. I watched as the once dim light became a fully functional flashlight phone. He held my phone out at arms length and the creature screamed. "HA!" He said.

He tugged on my arm and we dashed back into the darkness, but now with a weapon. It felt like we had been running forever when the man ran smack into a dark shed. He let out a surprised grunt as he rubbed his forehead.

"I really should leave the lights on from now on. He muttered and flung open a door. There was no way we were going to fit inside the tool shed and I began to panic.

"What do I do?" I called out.

"Um, I would recommend stepping inside before our friend catches up!"

"There's not enough room!" I argued. I watched his face deadpan.

"Trust me, there is." He sighed and yanked me in slamming the door.


	3. Chapter 3

We stood in complete darkness and I felt a breeze somehow hitting my face.

"Now, where's that light switch?" I heard the man say but he sounded far off. _Impossible_. I reached out and felt my way around. I could feel the door behind me... to my right I felt a _railing_? _Impossible_! "If I were a switch where would I be? Sorry, I've redecorated and seem to have misplaced the light switch, please give me a moment." The man called out.

I pulled myself along the railing, further and further from the door. How was this possible? I tripped up a stair and landed on my hands and knees. I hissed at the pain in my shin as it connected with the edge of the stair. My hand flailed out and I felt a piece of cloth slide between my fingers as I reached out for something to grab.

There was a buzz and suddenly lights began to flicker on.

"Hey! I knew I'd find it!" The man cheered. He turned around and frowned at me, "Is there any particular reason you're on the floor?"

I couldn't speak. My eyes grew wide as the room lit up. It was massive! The walls were smooth and shiny white, with blue and purple floor lights projecting beams along the surfaces. _Everything_ was so... white! The place looked like a state of the art laboratory.

The man helped me up off the floor and beamed at me.

"Welcome to the Tardis!" He cheered as I gaped in wonder. In the center of the large room was a circular station with ever inch covered in buttons, levers, cranks, wheels, and switches. And hanging from the side of the station on a silver hook was an old worn mallet with a wooden handle, it seemed out of place here among futuristic gadgets.

The true beauty, however, was a large cylinder in which the station encircled. It extended from floor to ceiling, lights of purple and blue lighting the tube. Inside were bubbles suspended in air, unmoving and clear. A double helix structure reached from top to bottom with breaks of spheres to separate the pieces. Near the top was the smallest sphere roughly the size of a golf ball and each grew larger than the last as your eyes followed lower until the last sphere was as large as a beach ball. On the ceiling was a web of tubes and pipes interconnected and hooked to the cylinder. It was absolutely beautiful.

"Well? What do you think?" He asked arms stretched wide.

"It's smaller from the outside." I choked out. The man's eyes narrowed.

"That's a new way of saying it, usually said differently... all the same, YES it is!" He grinned.

"It's bigger on the inside." I whispered.

"Ah! There we go! Just didn't feel right the first go." He smiled flipping switches at the station.

"Who are you?" I asked, the questions occurring to me suddenly.

"I am The Doctor! Hello!" He said smiling.

I studied the man, confused thoroughly. He was taller than I, fair complexion, and freckles covered his nose. He had curly red hair that stuck out at odd angles, but looked expertly done. When he smiled at me he revealed a set of dimples almost unnoticeable, and a perfect set of straight, white set of teeth. Surprisingly for a doctor he seemed young, perhaps twenty, twenty-one. But his most astounding feature were his eyes.

Framed with thick dark lashes he had wide, wondrous, green eyes. When he grinned the flecks of gold seemed to sparkle briefly as they stared back at me. It wasn't just the color that made them so beautiful, but for such a young age they appeared as if he had seen everything this world had to offer and captured the beauty and hope through them. They looked so old and deep that I found myself inching closer to him to examine them closer as if they held the answers to all my life's questions.

"Who _are_ you?" I whispered again feeling wonderfully light and dizzy.

"I am the doctor." He whispered back, eyes staring back at me, "Who are _you_?"

"I'm-" I stopped as his eyes blinked at me in surprise, "I'm Sophia." I whispered.

"Sophia." He said testing my name on his lips. It gave me a chill down my spine, "RIGHT!" he yelled turning away, making me jump, "I apologize ahead of time for any jolts, jerks, and bumps we will experience in take off and landing. I've only just acquired this version of the Tardis and regeneration, and still have not gotten over the fact that I am finally, a ginger." He said winking at me.

He rolled up the sleeves of his black cotton shirt and leaned against the station rubbing his chin.

"I don't understand. Take off? Landing? Regeneration?" I said confused. He smiled over at me.

"All in time, now I have to get us out of here before that thing decides to join our party." He laughed. I glanced at the doors, almost forgetting the creature which had chased us. The doctor hummed as he pressed buttons and flipped switches. He reached into his blue jean pocket and pulled out the purple light that charged my phone to light and pressed the button. A funny sound emitted and he grinned, "Ah, hello baby!"

I screamed as the room shook violently and the cylinder's double helix began to pump up and down. I clung to the railing as the room continued to shake. The doctor pretended not to notice and continued to run around the circular station and flip switches.

"What's happening?!" I screamed before the room stopped shaking.

"Well, I have escorted ourselves out of the woods. To answer a few questions before you ask them; no I do not have another name it's just _The Doctor,_ this_ is_ a spaceship, I _am_ an alien, a rather _dashing_ alien I must add, this ship _can_ travel through space and time, no you may _not_ have an autograph, and _yes_, you may come with me. I think that should do it. Covered all the bases, home run right?" He asked grinning. I folded my arms. He's a complete mad man! "Oh I forgot! No, I'm not insane! _Crazy_? Yeah... A bit odd? _Sure_... Insane? _No_."

"Regeneration?" I finally could ask.

"Oh, there's this bit that happens before I die... I kind of form a whole new body before I die. So I won't, you know... die."

"So you're telling me that you haven't always looked like this?" I asked confused.

"Wait are we skipping over the part where you don't believe anything I just said?"

"Yep."

"I like you." He grinned, pointing at me, "Yes, I haven't always been this handsome in my life. Big ears, noses, horrible fashion, hair that just shouldn't be worn ever again... I've had twelve faces." He replied.

"Twelve?"

"Yeah but, you know who's counting?"

"Twelve?"

"Uh-huh."

"How old are you?"

"I believe I'm somewhere around nine hundred fifty years old. I've kinda lost count... actually... most of a blur really..." He said narrowing his eyes and stared off into the distance.

"I cannot believe this... what are you?"

"I'm a Time Lord."

"And you aren't from Earth?" I asked smiling amazed. He grinned back and shook his head, "This is just! Oh my god!"

"Ah-ha-ha! There's the smile!" He said looking at me.

"So if you can travel anywhere at any time, what are you doing here in the middle of the woods behind my house?" I asked as he walked over to me.

"I don't know actually. One minute I'm on my way to watch the_ Declaration of Independence _be signed and the next poof! I'm here." He shrugged.

"You didn't even make it across the pond." I said. He shrugged shaking his head.

"Sometimes the Tardis tunes into distress signals, maybe it heard you."

"What about that thing out there?" I asked.

"When the sun comes out it will leave, especially now that it knows I'm here." The doctor said walking over to the doors, "The real question is Sophia; Are you staying home? Or are you coming with me on more adventures?"

He extended his smooth large hand out to me smiling. I stared down at it. A chance to see the world, see the universe! To see history and the future! Meet people I never will meet in my lifetime!

"Anywhere?"

"Anywhere."

"Any time?"

"You name it."

"And you could then get me home if I wanted?"

"Always."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Eh," He said frowning and looking up at the ceiling, "A little."

"A little?"

"Okay, maybe a lottle." He said smiling and shrugging. I slowly extending my hand and placed it in his.

"Welcome aboard Sophia." He grinned staring at me with those beautiful green eyes.


End file.
